The last class meeting of each course will be 90 minutes rather than 110. A 5-minute break is built into each class session.

On days involving a class trip or special event, the class schedule will be adjusted accordingly with advanced notice. Students should plan to keep the time slot between 4:00 p.m. and 5:55 p.m. free should a make-up time be needed on these days.

Students may select any two out of these three cources. Course selections will be honored in the order in which program deposits are recieved.

Final Exam Schedule:Examinations for International Environmental Law and Tax Policy and Human Rights will be administered on Thursday, June 5th and Friday, June 6th, 2014. The course grade in the Human Trafficking Seminar will be based on a paper, which must be submitted online on or before noon on June 20th. An exam schedule with precise examination times and dates will be available prior to final course selection so that you can weigh this information in your course selection.

Course Descriptions
(Enrollment in each class is projected to be capped at 22, determined in the order in which we receive applicant deposits and final registration forms.)

International Environmental Law (2 cr) - This course is designed to introduce students to the basic international institutions which address international environmental issues and the specific programs they have developed for doing so. Students should obtain a working knowledge of international institutions, an understanding of the major environmental problems facing the global environment, and insight into the difficult political, moral, and scientific issues facing the ongoing development of international environmental law. Issues considered will include air pollution, water resources and pollution(with respect to oceans, rivers, and lakes), hazardous materials(including both chemical manufacturing and hazardous waste disposal), and wildlife and natural habitats. The course will also consider the connections between international environmental law and trade, the connections between international environmental law and human rights, and certain issues in private international law. The grade will be based on a final exam. When taught in the Rome Program, this will be offered as a 2-credit course and the material on the connections between international environmental law and human rights will be given particular attention. Prof. Silecchia

Human Trafficking Seminar (2 cr.) - Trafficking in persons is a global human rights violation that constitutes a contemporary form of slavery. This course is designed to examine the various issues related to human trafficking, including forced labor, sex trafficking, bonded labor debt bondage, involuntary servitude, forced child labor, child soldiers, child sex trafficking, organ trafficking, forced and early marriage, temporary marriage, and more. Other related practices, such as the sale of children for irregular inter-country adoption, and the sale of wives through transnational marriages, will also be covered. The course will analyze the U.S. statutes prohibiting trafficking in human beings, including those related to alien smuggling, the importation of an alien for immoral purposes, the establishment of commercial enterprises for the purpose of evading immigration, involuntary servitude, the transportation of a person in interstate or foreign commerce for the purpose of prostitution under the Mann Act, and the 2000 Trafficking Victims Protection Act, as amended in 2003 and 2005, and the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008. The course will cover the 2003 Protect Act, as well as the 2005 International Marriage Broker Regulation Act. The course will also cover the international trafficking prohibitions of the various international conventions. The course will analyze legislative texts of the domestic trafficking laws of selected jurisdictions worldwide, whether these laws are enacted as a part of the penal code or as a special act related to protection of women and children. The course will emphasize the human rights based approach to trafficking in persons and the recognition of the trafficking person as a victim of a crime. The course will also inquire into the role of government corruption and organized crime in facilitating the crime of trafficking. Lastly, the course will examine practical obstacles and challenges to the implementation of U.S. laws. This will include national and international actors’ differing approaches to prevention and prosecution, enforcement challenges, and competing priorities. The course will be based on a final paper. Prof. Leary.

Tax Policy and Human Rights Law (2 cr) -The American tax system contains numerous provisions that are designed to encourage activities consistent with certain public policy concerns and to relieve various forms of personal hardship. These provisions are so important that they warrant public subsidies. Not surprisingly, many of the issues that arise in connection with tax policy relate to questions regarding the types of activities that government should or should not support. This course seeks to answer these questions by exploring the relationship between tax policy and internationally-recognized human rights. Using a comparative approach, this course specifically addresses the following considerations: (1) human rights principles as they relate to various tax-preferred activities, such as education, health, housing and retirement; (2) current trends in fiscal and tax policy and their impact on human rights; and (3) the effectiveness of different tax policies and practices, evaluated in accordance with recognized human rights principles and standards. Examination. Prof. Jefferson.